MONTEGO BAY, St James – Francis Tulloch, the former tourism minister who has returned from retirement to contest the West Central St James constituency for the ruling People’s National Party (PNP), is not yet ready to say what caused him to change his mind.

However, Tulloch, who at the time of his resignation in 2001 blasted what he described as “the tribal nature of our politics”, is confident that he will continue his winning streak, having never been defeated in his four outings to secure a parliamentary seat.

In the 1972 general elections, he defeated the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP’s) Tony Hart in Central St James. Then in 1976, when the political boundaries were adjusted in the parish, Tulloch beat the JLP’s Winston Watt for the West Central seat.

He did not seek re-election in the 1980 national polls, which the JLP won with a landslide majority, but returned in 1993 to win the Eastern Hanover seat against Dr Horace Chang, a current deputy leader of the JLP.

Four years later, the now experienced politician returned to St James where he successfully contested the North West seat against Chang and three other candidates.

He, however, resigned as MP in 2001, just over a year before the general elections of 2002.

Whenever the next general elections, constitutionally due in 2007, are held, Tulloch, who has also served as junior minister for transport and works, is expected to face the incumbent MP and Opposition spokesman on energy Clive Mullings.

At 66, Tulloch is one of two former PNP Cabinet ministers who have decided to come out of retirement to contest parliamentary seats in the party’s Region Six, which covers the parishes of Hanover, Westmoreland and St James.

The other is ex-MP for East Central St Andrew, Dr D K Duncan, a 65-year-old dentist.

Mullings, a former PNP member who switched allegiance in the 1990s, could not be reached by the Sunday Observer for a comment yesterday.

Political commentator Shalman Scott, however, believes that the tussle for the West Central seat will be a closely contested affair. One which he will not call at this time.

“It is going to be a closely contested seat, and although I know who will win, I am waiting until between Nomination Day and Election Day to call it,” Scott said.

He argued, however, that the seat will not be won on personality but a vote in favour or against the Government.

“Personalities will not play any significant role in the election. Mr Tulloch is popular, but popular politicians also lose elections,” Scott said, adding that it will be very challenging this time around for the former MP to win.

According to Scott, Mullings has been distinguishing himself as a good constituency representative as well as a fine Opposition spokesperson.

Last Thursday, Tulloch, in an interview with the Sunday Observer, declined to say what prompted him to re-enter representational politics. He said, however, that the reasons will be made known at a press conference he intends to call within a week.

“That will be made very public when the right time comes, most likely within a week,” he said.

But Scott believes that Tulloch was motivated by the desire for political power.

“The motivation is clearly about the love for power and the ownership of power and that is why they (Tulloch and Duncan) can’t keep themselves comfortable even when they have served for a long time and had done a fairly good job,” the political commentator said.

“They will not tell you, though, that it is about the power. What they will say is that it is people they are interested in, but it is clearly raw desire for power and less about interest in people.”

Scott also believes that Tulloch’s decision was influenced by PNP President Portia Simpson Miller’s desire to place her loyalists in key constituencies with the hope that it will strengthen her own position as leader of the party. Tulloch, a staunch backer of Simpson Miller, served as her campaign manager in Region Six during PNP’s presidential race that ended in February this year with Simpson Miller’s victory over Dr Peter Phillips, the national security minister; Dr Omar Davies, the finance minister; and Dr Karl Blythe, a former Cabinet minister who, at the time of the internal election, was a vice president of the party.

On Thursday, Tulloch expressed pleasure at seeking to represent the constituency he left in 1980 and said he was confident that the constituents would give him the nod once again.

“I am honoured to be coming back to West Central St James,” he said. “It’s a constituency that I have done a lot for and I want to continue the work that I began in the 1970s.”

Tulloch said he had been instrumental in a number of projects during his stint as MP for that constituency.

These, he said, included:

. the construction of a number of community centres;

. the construction of the Montego Bay Community College;

. construction of the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College;

. the building of a number of health centres; and

. establishment of housing developments at Montpelier, Retirement Estate, Catherine Hall and the West Green Housing Scheme.

Since his return to representational politics, Tulloch said he has established a Policy Committee, headed by a prominent Montego Bay attorney, which has been mandated to formulate a “workable” plan for the constituency. That committee will make its recommendations by year-end.

“I want to come up with a proper five-year plan for the constituency, so the committee is working very hard at it,” Tulloch said, adding that he has never made promises that cannot be fulfilled.

He said that the development of the Montego Bay Port and the Freezone area of the resort city would play a pivotal role in his plans to further develop the constituency.

cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com